PARADISE ISLAND, Bahamas — The Syracuse Orange men’s basketball team bounced back in its second game in the Battle 4 Atlantis tournament, holding off the Arizona State Sun Devils 92-84.
Jim Boeheim kept his starting lineup intact with Joe Girard, Buddy Boeheim, Jimmy Boeheim, Cole Swider and Jesse Edwards. Arizona State’s Marcus Bagley did not travel with the team due to a knee injury.
Both teams got off to hot starts offensively. Jimmy Boeheim once again scored the first bucket for Syracuse. Buddy Boeheim then scored seven of Syracuse’s next nine points. Arizona State wanted to beat Syracuse down the floor before the zone could set up and that was a strategy worked initially as 6-of-9 shooting gave the Sun Devils a 14-11 lead at the first media timeout.